Overlake welcomes guests from the Holocaust Center for Humanity

This week Overlake welcomed Paul Regelbrugge and Rabbi Brett Weissman to speak during flex time. They are a part of the Holocaust Center for Humanity and spoke to students about their work on how to recognize and address antisemitism. Rabbi Weissman shared his own experience as a Jewish man and also talked about the diversity amongst Jews and how no two are the same from their religious practices to their geographic location. He even joked and said that “if you have two Jews in a room you could have three different opinions!” 

Regelbrugge and Weissman helped students understand how stereotyping a group of people contributes to dehumanizing individuals and what happens when biased attitudes go unchecked. They dove into understanding how social media often oversimplifies and distorts reality and to be wise consumers of media. 

Most importantly, they preached a message of hope and empowerment that students have a vital role to play in the fight against antisemitism and any hatred towards a people group. They encouraged students to speak up and interrupt harmful language or actions they witness, to push back against stereotypes, assume good intent from others, and to ask questions when they don’t understand something. They said, the only bad question is an unasked question.

Bringing in speakers like Regelbrugge and Weissman align with Overlake’s commitment to diversity and inclusion who can help create a shared understanding of what Overlake stands for and how everyone can be a part of strengthening the community.